Today I decided to focus on positive reinforcement. Like, ignoring negative behaviors and comments and only focusing on the good. I mean, some negative behaviors need to be immediately stopped, but others can just be ignored.
I forgot how effective it was. I mean, minus the part where one student wailed and hid under her desk just before free-time and had a freak-out because I raised all of their AR goals for this term (her's raised one point, she'll be fine.)
The really fun part, though, was focusing more on the students who are always good and letting them have all the attention they need. Students like Ashaleighey and Veronica (who, coincidentally, on the last test said, in answer to the question: if you could have any other name what would it be, put Veronica, which means that I picked a good pseudonym for her), my quiet ones who have already begun working on their new AR goal.
I'm going to do it again tomorrow. And the day after that, and the day after that.
Praising the positive and reinforcing good behaviors does make a big difference! Glad you could see benefits to make you want to stick with it!
ReplyDeleteWorks great -- not only for encouragement but also basic feedback and positive reinforcement because students don't always know when they've something terriific
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